Nashville’s own All Them Witches serve up another steamy slice of bluesy psych-rock with their fourth studio album, ‘Sleeping Through The War’. But in a climate where more and more bands are making it big by looking backwards, and half a decade on from their formation, do the retro riffs and hazy vibes entice quite like they used to?
Opener ‘Bulls’ fades in with bright, shimmering guitars and bird song, before settling into a smooth bass groove and Charles Michael Parks Jr’s lilting, easy vocal drawl. The track blooms like a flower, taking flight with a fuzzed up guitar riff and lots of cymbal splash. It alternates between these two themes before knuckling down into a sunshiney, uptempo drive that’s bolstered by swelling noise and a restless, good-time energy.
‘Don’t Bring Me Coffee’ jams in with subdued, muted guitar strumming and high-in-the-mix, echoing vocals, before lapsing into a standoffish, swinging riff that’s every inch a Queens Of The Stone age lick. The track locks into a mid-pace drive layered with whining, ascending guitar noodling before ending abruptly. ‘Bruce Lee’ (sadly not a cover of the Nizlopi classic) is all hard-edged riffs and cruising, breathless grooves, backed up by droning vocals and restless drumming. ‘3-5-7’ cuts in with a desert wind scoured melody, subdued over the rolling, moody drums while the vocals soar, perhaps a tad overbearingly, dominated by too many effects. ‘Am I Going Up’ swaggers with a hypnotic looping rhythm, twinkling dreamy guitars and psyched out synth tones overarching the snaking, sultry groove.
‘Alabaster’ starts subtly, building up into an excellent bass/drum roll and spoken-word vocals, twanging, phasing guitars to each side before everything briefly locks in to big chords. There’s not much change, just subtle variation, but there doesn’t really need to be. ‘Cowboy Kirk’ buzzes and grinds away at its guitar line, snappy snare bouncing away. It climbs up slowly, but never fully realises itself, coming across as an unfinished jam despite the whining guitar solo and stoner rock vibes.
‘Guess I’ll Go Live On The Internet’ brings the curtain down with bluesy organs and quivering guitars, drifting smoothly into squealing harmonica solos and jazzy instrumental layers, loungey and laid back before a blues fused, delightfully messy solo drags things back to the 70s. Things slowly fade out into feedback and echoes, but the track is engaging enough not to drag through its almost ten minute run time.
All Them Witches have certainly got their aesthetic dialed in. ‘Sleeping Through The War’ is packed with hazy charm, drifting, hypnotic riffs and impressive instrumental nous. On a surface level it’s inoffensive and often enjoyable, however there’s little to differentiate it from the rest of the bands’ back catalogue and the slew of acid-rock pumped out by a groundswell of its peers. While those with an ear to the past might well revel in it, listeners with a yearn for modernity might as well sleep through it.
JAY HAMPSHIRE